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Someone up above said, regarding safety equipment:
"This overkill for HPDE in a modern designed car. What keeps instructors safe is students who check their ego at the gate, listen to their instructors, and keep their cars in top mechanical condition. "
Just, no. I do instruction for both novice through advanced students, and while there may be some truth to the "overkill" statement for a complete novice (as speed tends to be much lower), I am leery about getting into an advanced student's car if they plan on going 10/10ths and aren't running proper seats and harnesses (so I can wear my HANS).
It doesn't take a fast impact to damage your neck, including suffering internal decapitation. At our local track several years ago an instructor got a pretty good whiplash from his student sliding off into a tire wall at ~45/50mph and had to stop driving/instructing for a few months because of it.
If you are taking this seriously, and driving on a track where there are walls or dirt your tire can catch on and flip the car (i.e. EVERYWHERE) then proper safety gear is a must.
As far as other tips:
* Focus on understanding your car. Driving with DSC off will ultimately make you faster, but understand the risks of not having the nannies there to save you.
* Stick with street tires for a while. I'm partial to Hankook RS4's for my M3s on the track. You will learn MUCH more about handling and limits on street tires than you will on semi-slicks. The margin of grip to no grip on street tires is pretty wide and progressive, and the M3 chassis is a solid platform to work on that car control.
* Brakes, brakes, brakes. Of all mods, beyond safety, do this first. Upgraded pads, stainless steel brake lines, and Motul 600 or equivalent fluid.
* Note on mods: after Brakes (and tires), Safety comes handling. Suspension upgrades next. Power upgrades last (after you plateau lap times after everything else is done)
* Get instructors whenever you can. Everyone has different tips and tricks and their preferred lines on any given track. You can learn from everyone. I still have people faster than me (racers or other instructors) ride shotgun when I can, to soak up as much information as possible. Just this month I shaved 0.5 seconds off my personal best at our local track by having a friend critique my videos and offer advice on a single corner (a driver who has won the 24 Hours of Dubai).
* Focus: Don't get an instructor and just say "help me go faster". Tell them what corners you want to focus on, and what your goal is. Take it 5-10mph faster? Smoother? Maintaining momentum? Be specific, and focus on achievable goals rather than just a whole lap time.
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